Illinois and Chicago area Real Estate Happenings

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE NOTICED...... d o y o u ?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:29:56 -0600

Are YOU having trouble finding YOUR voice in
the blogging world?

Here is a typical situation:

You take as much as 45 minutes to an hour typing
away, finding pictures to illustrate your point(s)…..
structuring the post to be coherent and readable.

Then suddenly, you are finished..

Woohoo !!

You post the creation you worked SO HARD ON
to the network and wait…….

In the ensuing days and weeks, you have almost
no-one come to see your hard work and creativity.

(You can see how many people “click” [Actually READ]
your posts on your statistics page, located on the bottom
left of your "HOME" page when you are logged in.)

What hurts even more, is when you are SURE you made a
GREAT post, just to garner no comments or worse than
that, no-one comes to even READ (click on) your creation.

Let’s be honest, everyone wants to be noticed. Besides,
if you were only posting in ActiveRain to get Localism
inclusion, you would not care, right? Market reports,
listings and local happenings are where Localisms
purpose shines ~~~~ that is what it’s all about and what
it was created for.

Let me state it again… very simply:

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE
NOTICED

Here are WAYS to make that happen. You will NOT:

Sniffle and choke back tears when your blog finds it’s
way into the Sahara dessert (or is that desert?) of
NO-WHERE-VILLE.
Loose heart and post less and less because no-one knows
you are around in the network..... *sniffle*
End up leaving ActiveRain and not come back, determined
to NEVER have something so embarrassing and hurtful
happen to you like this ever again...... *the long (OR SHORT) goodbye*
Be turned off blogging as a way to promote your real estate business. *walking into the sunset*

This is what WILL HAPPEN if you follow these simple rules:

You will LOVE to come into the network to log in
(visit “I Love ActiveRain Because”)
You will become an encouragement to others
(visit "ActiveRain Newbies")
You will find groups to join that “just happen” to be
YOUR MARKET NICHE…….(Visit the "GROUPS PAGE") and you will make friends that share your passion for what you do.
Your blogs WILL GET NOTICED and YOUR BLOGS STATS will improve.
You will GET BUSINESS as a result of your efforts.

These are some things you can do to make this all happen:

1. Go BACK to the above list and TAKE MY HINT(S)
  Hehehehehe……….. *Cool, huh?*
2. Read and really observe how popular bloggers write….
  (People who get featured regularly)
  Follow the principles they use in their blogs to draw
  people into “the conversation of the blog” they have.
  A GOOD example is better than ALL the opinions you
  will ever see. *I can FEEL the excitement growing in
  you, Grasshopper*
3. Think about HOW YOU TALK when you are with
  friends and family. WRITE LIKE THAT !!!!!
  (BE YOU….. don’t try to be someone else)
  * A CARBON COPY is just that..... BORING!*
4. DO NOT just write about business….. Let people see
  your emotions, your passion and your heart. YOUR
  emotions are what DRAW others to you, NOT listings
  or market reports, how ever well they are written.
5. Let people see YOUR PERSPECTIVE on things in life.
  Again… people are drawn to you when you SHOW
  YOUR HEART. *Ripping open shirt ~~ pointing*
6. COMMENT in posts that you are intrigued, inspired, and
  moved in your being (soul, spirit, personality and intellect) about.
7. Get to KNOW people you are drawn to in the network:
  Commenting on their posts, e-mailing them and eventually
  talking to them via facebook IM (and other programs)
  or on the phone. *This takes TIME and EFFORT*
8. Let your friendships in ActiveRain encourage you, inspire
  you and empower your blogging.
9. WASH,RINSE --- REPEAT OFTEN… and ENJOY!!

Here are some of my featured and highly

rated posts to help you along the way:

Are you out of the fireplace?

Teamwork and the offices we work in....

Comments, CLICKS, Featured Posts and MORE POINTS!!

Having a problem because you don't have "Stars"?? Read This Post......

Some other ways to drum up MORE business!

Have you met a suffocating agent --- what did you do about it?

Thanks to www.flickr.com and these
FINE people for the GREAT pictures:

baddyart

armadillo444

Mark Berry - Photographer & Graphic Designer

Edward Dullard Photography

FrogMiller

FreeSpirit5

saltycotton

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C.

Just click on any of these links
to find the type of help you need.

Buying, selling or just searching,
Rice Property Management and Realty
has what you are looking for!

Chicago Area Real Estate Happenings ~~~ GREAT restaurants in Chicago .... OMGoodness!!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:36:09 -0600

It is high time I got some good advice from area newspapers
and other sources in the Chicago area.

I have been here for about 3 weeks and I am happy to report
great restaurants are not just in Florida..... hehehehehe!!

Take these restuarants I have picked.... WOW !!

If you like to eat and love to explore the very best Chicago has
to offer, try some of these "fantastic Chicago culinary vacations:"

Alinea

1723 N Halsted, Chicago, IL 60614 (Map)
312-867-0110

Alinea Website

Featuring a 12 course meal that will tempt, tease and delight your
tastebuds and your pallette. Prepare yourself for an exceptional
encounter when you reserve dinner at this Chicago hotspot – praised
as one of the best restaurants in the nation. The very knowledgeable
servers guide you through your meal, composed of 12 or 24 tastes of
culinary delight. Many "courses," each consisting of a single, delightful
bite, are presented with serviceware tailored to each particular dish;
servers instruct you all the way to dessert, which is out of this world.

Dinners are $135.00 for a 12 course meal and $195.00 for the twenty
four course meal.

Alcohol Served: Beer, Liquor, Wine

Ambiance: Elegant, Quiet Conversation, Romantic, Sleek

Cuisine: American, New American

Dining Style: Fine Dining

Dress: Business, Jacket Preferred

Features: Non-Smoking, Parties / Private Rooms, Sommelier

Meals: Business Dinner, Dinner

Menu Type: Fixed Price, Tasting Menu

Parking: Nearby, Valet

Reservations: Absolutely Required

Seeing as I like steak, here is a fantastic place to have beef... on

a royal scale:

Morton's, The Steakhouse

1050 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610 (Map)
312-266-4820 · FAX: 312-266-4852

Morton's Steakhouse Website

Walk down the stairs to below street level and you will find the
ambience of an exclusive gathering. Morton's continually impresses
diners with mouthwatering cuts of sirloins, t-bones, and filet miignon.
Having white linens on the tables, crystal chandeliers, and kingly
service, this is the perfect place for any important occasion. Lots of
the city's best and most discerning agree that Morton's is top notch.

Alcohol Served: Beer, Liquor, Wine

Ambiance: Clubby, Elegant, Quiet Conversation

Cuisine: American, Continental

Dining Style: Fine Dining

Dress: Business, Business Casual

Features: Bar / Lounge, Bar Dining, Disabled Accessible, Parties / Private Rooms

Meals: Business Dinner, Dinner

Parking: Garage / Street, Valet

Reservations: Recommended / Suggested

Type: Steakhouse

Avg. Price: $45.00

If YOU have a favorite restuarant in the Chcago area, PLEASE let me know,
so I can go there and report on how AWESOME it is to live in the Windy City.....

Thanks to: www.flickr.com ,

travelCLICK , Image Zen and
Steve Wan^_______________,^
for the AWESOME photos!!

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C.

Just click on any of these links
to find the type of help you need.

Buying, selling or just searching,
Rice Property Management and Realty
has what you are looking for!

Chicago Area Real Estate Happenings ~~~ Are you looking for low priced investment property.... are ya?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:08:26 -0600

Just to make things interesting...... I have ANOTHER 20
Southern Chicago homes for sale. These homes range in price
from:

A low asking price of $12,900.00....... WOW !!!
A high asking price of $16,900.00......... Oh my Goodness!!

These homes are a steal...and with some rehab work, any of
these properties could be a landlords dream or an investors windfall!!

I will continue to post more and more Southern Chicago, Illinois
homes for sale in the coming days, weeks and months.

Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C. is here for you as a
Chicago real estate consulting company you can trust.

Realtor Services For Buyers & Sellers: Rice Property Management & Realty has REALTOR® Brokers & Agents poised to give you personal and satisfying full-service buying and/or selling experience. We aim to achieve this by matching our trained team members to your specific requirements. Our Specialties include:

· Home Staging Experts - Utilize our certified stagers to market your home!

· Buyer Agents - Receive one-on-one care while seeking your dream home!

· Mortgage Professionals - Use Our Resource Referral Network to get help with pre-approvals, refinancing, FHA & VA Loans, current credits, programs, plans, & Incentives.

· Seller/Buyer Prep – Available tools: warranties, inspections, disclosures, marketing, website promotions, open houses, etc.

· Seller Benefits – Select from our on-hand approved purchasing investor base

· Expert Attorney Referral - pre-foreclosure & short sale professionals to assist you in keeping your home

Property Placement Services: Exclusive Owner Packages for investors and owners who self manage. Forgo weekly and monthly advertising fees and gain exposure to your property through major top search website engines. Receive:

· Licensed REALTOR® Assistance – professional help to rent your property

· Property Marketing - choose from huge established tenant marketing base

· Investor Services – Help with leasing, listing and selling your commercial & residential property

· Referral Services – In-house established resources

· No-upfront costs ever – SAVE your advertising dollars – FREE Virtual Tours – Worldwide Placement

· Property Prep Service – R&R Painting & Carpeting Cleaning

· Online FREE property monitoring service

· Investor watch – receive current preferred investor selections

Management Services: Full-service Commercial & Residential Management in the South Suburban Chicagoland Illinois & Northwest Indiana Communities. Management includes:

· Applicant Screening & Service For All Tenant Concerns

· Online tenant record reviews – NEW (by Fall of 2009)

· Owner access to monitoring property traffic interest

· Move-in & Move-out Service

· Property Prep Service – R&R Painting & Carpeting Cleaning – (in-house rates)

· Rental Collections & Record Keeping – Direct Owner Deposits

· Maintenance Upkeep & Vendor Payments

· Notice & Eviction Service – RPM is a registered Notary (in Illinois only)

· Annual & Periodic Property Inspections – (as required by Illinois real estate law

· Leases & Renewals – Short & long term leases

· Advertising/Marketing – Free Address Domains – Access Marketing Brochures - Website Positioning & Synchronizing

· Required Class Attendance (for municipalities with Crime-Free Housing Certification requirements)

· Buyer/Seller Representation – Exclusive listing

· Monthly & Year-end Statements

· Investor watch – receive current preferred marketing selections

· Vendor Referrals

Thanks to: www.flickr.com,

PinoyChicago , SCSSAPICS ,
and splenderandwonder for
the GREAT pictures!

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C.

Just click on any of these links
to find the type of help you need.

Buying, selling or just searching,
Rice Property Management and Realty
has what you are looking for!

My ActiveRain post about what this network has done for me and what I have done for others because of it.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:51:15 -0500

Back when I started out in ActiveRain, I said to myself,"This is
gonna help me grow my real estate business......."

Little did I know what changes this network were going to make
in my LIFE, as well as the lives of others in the real estate profession,
as well as those interested in real estate.

It started with getting to know the movers and shakers of the
network at that time:

Now, we used to have a feature that would show the most popular
bloggers by number of subscriptions, but I cannot find it at this time, or
I would be able to put more names in the above list.

There are MANY more movers and shakers than I have in my list, so if YOU
were not mentioned, please don't get upset.

I got to know a great many of these people and they helped me in my
blogging style.......

Krystal helped me put pictures on my blog.

Lenn and Margaret showed me how important it is to be consistent in localism posting.

Margaret and Lenn showed me how important it was to be stern in defending my principles.

Jennifer Allan showed me it is a good thing to be more outgoing, even if I was only outgoing with people I knew.

Jason showed me it is ok to me humorus and open up my life to others, including my personal situations as they happened.

Cheryl showed me that even if you hide behind a clip art picture in your profile picture, that is ok also......

Brad taught me to not worry about what other people thought and to ENJOY my blogging, as long as I was living the of the Golden Rule

There were so many in ActiveRain that contributed to my development as a blogger.... but I can not list them all here.

I started by just posting things I knew about real estate. Knowledge to me, was where it was at. I had several domains that I linked to ActiveRain and I learned html coding and website SEO as I grew in my knowledge of blogging.

I started the "Christianity and Real Estate" group January 25th, 2007 and since then it has grown to almost 1,400 members.

What is nice are the wonderful friendships that have developed over time as a result of that group.

I got to know great people who live out the Golden Rule every day of their lives:

* Elizabeth Nieves
* Don Draughn
* Andrew Trevino
* Jason Crouch
* Sara Washburn
* Brian Foxworth
* Loreena Yeo
* Lola Audu
* Debe Maxwell
* Bob Sloop
*Hugh Krone
*Nick Golgolucci
*Judi Barrett
*Loreena Yeo
*Diane Rice

And SOOoooo many others in the C&RE group.

Many, many, MANY posts in that group still to this day stand out as posts
that changed my life and the lives of others. Here is a smattering of recent
great posts in the group:

Raining Friendship
Barb Van Stensel, Realtor - Chicago, Illinois

Some Bold, Some Quiet But All Equally Valued
Loreena Yeo - Broker|Realtor(R) of www.Frisco-TX-Homes.com (214) 783-2210

Are you LED or LEAD?
Diane Rice

Your Ego is definitely Not Your Amigo! Views on Client Testimonials
Loreena Yeo - Broker|Realtor(R) of www.Frisco-TX-Homes.com (214) 783-2210

Motivational Monday - Kites Rise Highest Against The Wind, Not With It. Be a Kite!
Judi and Don Barrett Integrity Real Estate Services in SE Oklahoma

The group blogroll would not go past 10 pages... which would have resulted in a far BETTER look into the group at large, but I have all my C&RE posts tagged with "Christianity" in my blog.

So many people have come in to read the inspirational posts and to read about real estate from a Christian perspective.

In the group, we have had and still have featured posts that are simply requests for prayer. MANY great things have happened as a result of these prayers. As I said, I cannot go past the 10th page of posts to see praise reports from the prayers that have happened in the past at C&RE, BUT I can attest that MANY people have been touched as a result of prayers said on their behalf.

Bob Sloops wife came out of cancer surgery in fine fashion.

I got to Chicago, moving from Orlando, Florida with out a hitch and started to work with Diane Rice in her brokerage.

These two items are just the TIP of the iceburg of GREAT things that have happened as a result of ActiveRain hosting the "Christianity and Real Estate" group.

** Now all this is to say I have had MANY people (clients and prospects) who have visited Christianity and Real Estate, OR taken a look at my blogs on Christian principles and have been inspired to work with me or with others in the C&RE group.

I also have tagged Orlando area listings and Orlando area news in my blog that many people have commented on to me.

Here is just ONE of my blogs on Christian principles that has lots of links to my other posts on the same subject.

Christianity and Real Estate.... The Kingdom of Heaven #7

I have told many people about the "Christianity and Real Estate" group in The ActiveRain Real Estate Network........
a LOT of my posts that are not specifically real estate related have drawn people (potential leads and clients) to this group, just because of the principles contained in the group and in my posts related to Christian principles.

If I had not been able to form the, "Christianity and Real Estate" group.... which almost happened back almost 3 years ago...... my real estate business and reputation would not be what it is today. I am actually in Chicago now because of Diane Rice, who is one of the members of the C&RE group.

It is because of the great owners and employees of ActiveRain AND the great membership of this network I have worked with that has helped me to leverage my blog and the group I founded to reach many, many people.

And that's a fact, Jack......

hehehehe

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C.

Just click on any of these links
to find the type of help you need.

Buying, selling or just searching,
Rice Property Management and Realty
has what you are looking for!

Chicago Area Real Estate Happenings ~~~ Staying #1 in Illinois..... can I do it??

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:13:09 -0500

Larry Bettag is coming on STRONG..... and his many posts about
almost everything in his life do not help me at all.

Wow... this guy posts about just about everything important
in his life.... and people comment on his blogs..... wow!!

I try to filter my blog posts and maybe that is where I am
going wrong. Larry just lets it all hang out, so to speak....

People love it............ SOOoooo I will be doing the same thing.

I REALLY LIKE being #1 in a STATE..... it is neat...... #2 is nice
(I was #2 in Orange County and #2 in the city of Orlando when
I lived in Florida) but #1 is SOOooo much better.

I guess that is why Larry has been coming on so strong.....

I WAS over 10,000 points above him when I moved over to
Illinois from the Sunshine State.

NOW......... I am barely 3,000 points in front of him......

Will this LAST............... stay tuned................

Larry is working HARD to get back his #1 spot.......

WOW.... I am almost sweating as I type this post..... hehehehe!!

WOOHOO !!!!!

Thanks to: www.flickr.com
and portlvr for the GREAT
picture of the eagle!!

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C.

Just click on any of these links
to find the type of help you need.

Buying, selling or just searching,
Rice Property Management and Realty
has what you are looking for!

Chicago Area Real Estate Happenings ~~~ Are looking for low priced investment property?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:26:23 -0500

In conjunction with Diane Rices post about homes for sale
in Chicago for under $30,000.00, here is a post with a little
more meat to it.

In FACT I have 20 of these properties you CAN VIEW from the
Chicago area MLS....

How's THAT for some help in looking for Chicago investment
property at a ROCK BOTTOM price??

Diane said in her post that there are over 400 hundred properties
that can be purchased in the Chicago area for $30,000.00 or less....
and she is RIGHT.....

I have 20 of them HERE.... see Chicago area homes for sale for
under $30,000.00 just click on that link, my friend...

With some rehab and marketing, Rice Property Management and Realty
can help you get a steady stream of rental income for the future.

For help with your transaction from beginning to end, it is recommended to choose a company that can walk you through every aspect from selecting a profitable rental property, successfully bargaining the purchase of it, overseeing the managing of it, and assisting with it's re-sale if your interest level changes in the future!

Owning real estate is the best way to become or stay financially secure. 98% of millionaires have owned or currently own real estate.

How's that for a fun fact??

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
Rice Property Management and Realty L.L.C.

Just click on any of these links
to find the type of help you need.

Buying, selling or just searching,
Rice Property Management and Realty
has what you are looking for!

Chicago Area Real Estate Happenings ~~~ Are looking for a "Rent to Own" property?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:40:26 -0500

Chicago has so much to do it boggles the mind! There are also
Chicago homes for sale in all price ranges. The whole thing is..... are you
READY to purchase?

Is your credit score high enough?
Have you been on your job a while?
Do you have money saved?
Do you know where you want to live and
what type of home you want to buy?

There are a bunch of other questions that need to be answered, but
the aforementioned ones are tops on the list for prospective home buyers.

If you are NOT ready to purchase a home in the Chicago area, then
maybe "renting to own" is the choice for you. Renting to own has
several positive things in its favor:

You don't have to wait to live in the type of home you may
want to purchase.
You can rent the type of home you want while fixing up your
credit at the same time.
You can save money for unexpected things that pop up in life AND
for things you may need after you close on your dream home.
You will be adding time to your job while you are taking care of
the items you need to take care of to purchase a home in the future
and this makes your credit worthiness better.
You MIGHT NOT even have to move because you would be buying the
home you are renting.

Come and take a look at Rice Property Managements RPM PLAN......

It is a comprehensive plan to help you while you rent and prepare to
purchase Chicago real estate.

If you are an owner of Chicago area real estate and want quality tenant
and rental management, come and see our RPM PLAN

We offer: